Apple adds new webpage, sends out emails telling us why people love iPhones... more than other phones

Apple has updated Apple.com with a new page, and sent out an email campaign, aimed at telling us just why people love iPhones... and why competing phones just aren't as good. The timing, so soon after Samsung announced the Galaxy S4 is certainly interesting, and feels like it marks a shift in Apple's strategy towards the more aggressive, more competitive product marketing. Apple did a lot of this in the "Get a Mac" days with their "I'm a Mac" and "I'm a PC" character commercials, but it hasn't been a major focus of their mobile campaigns until now.

Mixed into the new webpage and mailer, are lines like:

Every detail and every material — particularly the sleek aluminum enclosure — has been meticulously considered and refined.

The Galaxy series is, famously, plastic/polycarb and not generally considered to be as high quality plastic/polycarb as HTC or Nokia uses.

Yet [the Retina display] remains a feature found only on iPhone and other Apple products.

Other companies have fielded larger, denser screens. Apple might be referring to technology like the in-cell display and the individual color calibrations to make an overall case for their displays.

But it’s extraordinary that we fit such a powerful battery into such a thin and light design — all thanks to Apple scientists who created unique battery chemistry instead of settling for a large, off-the-shelf option.

iPhone has an impressive battery life for it's size. I'd still argue that a slightly thicker iPhone could enjoy even more impressive battery life and few people would quibble at the difference in volume.

And the A6 chip works hand in hand with iOS 6 to be extremely power efficient. So you don’t sacrifice battery life for speed.

Apple, like BlackBerry, makes every bit and every atom, so they can fine tune the performance. Samsung uses a third-party operating system (Google's Android) but has put a dual quad core beast into the Galaxy S3. Does that really matter? Given how Android still isn't optimized for interface, if interface is important to you, then sure it does.

And while other smartphones simply tout large amounts of megapixels, taking great pictures is about so much more.

Some smartphones tout large megapixel counts. The HTC One has "only" a 4-megapixel camera but the sensor is 2 micros, which is huge for light gathering, and it has OIS (optical image stabilization) so it can keep the aperture open longer on stationary objects and collect more light . Nokia's Lumia 920 does similar. Oversampling is where they're going.

The iPhone 5 has an amazing camera, arguably still the best camera in mobile, and at a size so thin it's literally a miracle of engineering, but others have also broken the megapixel bad habit.

With iPhone, all that [media and app] content comes from one source: Apple. [...](Other mobile platforms have a myriad of fragmented store options, resulting in availability issues, developer frustration, and security risks.)

This is the malware knock on Android, which is mostly a problem for those who steal apps from untrustworthy sources. Amazon does have their own Android app store, however, and there are issues for developers given the enormous diversity of the Android device catalog. Every benefit has an associated drawback.

Every iPhone comes with support from real people who know everything there is to know about iPhone and iOS — people you can call at 1-800-MY-APPLE or speak to in person at your favorite Apple Retail Store whenever you have questions or concerns. With other smartphones, you’re not sure where to go for help. Call the manufacturer, and they tell you to call your service provider. Call your service provider, and they tell you to contact the OS developer. Getting answers shouldn’t be that hard. And with Apple, it never is.

This is the nuke in Apple's current arsenal. You can walk into an Apple store with a busted phone, and thanks to AppleCare+ and iCloud, you can walk out again a few minutes later with a brand new phone that's also exactly your phone. No one else is doing this because no one else has the retail footprint Apple has.

The stuff up top is interesting, but for any mainstream customer who lives anywhere near an Apple Store, this is the real reason why you should love the iPhone most right now.

Apple's never been the marketshare leader in smartphones. Nokia and RIM had a huge lead when the iPhone launched, and Android has the lead now. Apple is and remains the profit-share leader, but for the first time they're engaged in a real battle for mainstream mind share. The Galaxy S4 might be the first phone to get as much attention as the iPhone.

Some might find this new campaign defense or reactionary. Maybe. Either way, it's a shift, and that's exciting. A scrappy Apple is going to be fun to watch.

If you got Apple's new iPhone love letter, let me know your reaction. And head on over to Apple's new "Why iPhone" page, read it through, and let me know what you think.

Reader comments

Apple adds new webpage, sends out emails telling us why people love iPhones... more than other phones

Apple really seems to be trying to go on the offensive lately. I hope this agression doesn't stay limited to their rhetoric but that it translates into a rededicated and redoubled effort on the device and software front!

After much silence from Apple, they're finally breaking the silence and with what seems like a shift in their strategy. Admittedly, some of the features that they tout to best in the iPhone are already being competed with or bested by other manufacturers in their devices, but still it is a great attempt on Apple's part.

At-least they're not sticking to bashing devices by other manufacturer's bluntly but are sticking to speaking praise of their own device as they see fit... I likes!

If they sent this when the iPhone 5 came out, I seriously would have bought one immediately. I think we reached a point that CPUs and Ram (only at 2G) seem to be perfectly fine. I don't see the need to scramble for the next phone just for that tiny little bump. While the specs get better and better, battery seems to stay the same with iPhone which is extremely disappointing.

While it is true that Apple does everything, there is only so much they can do to stretch battery life with that weak 1440 mAH battery.

For Apple to truly succeed with the next iPhone they need to at least address the following issues:

I love Apple and their products, but damn this is sad. What a load of propaganda. Camera?Extremely popular indeed, but best? LOL. (just check Nokia's 808 or Lumia 920) Also, the retina display? Credit has to be given to them, they brought high density displays when everyone else was sleeping on their shifts but now everyone and their mothers have higher density displays, better tech (usable with gloves, faster refresh rates etc), etc.

Sorry, but the Iphone 5 camera is better than the 920. The 920 owners on WPcentral ever admit that. The 920 camera takes a little better low light pictures but every thing is the iphone 5 camera beats it. It's been discuss numerous times on different sites. Who cares about about the 808 camera? You mentioned a phone that maybe 1 out of 50 people know about and purchased. The phone was terrible but had a great camera. Why didn't you buy the 808 if it was such a great phone?

I think there is no comparison between iOS and android or other platforms as long as we concern about the ecosystem.
Apple made the best and the most powerful ecosystem in the market and it won't change for a long period time. Syncing between phones and tablets on android or windows OS is terrible. It's like you have to pass through several steps but on iOS it's just like a magic. You don't even have to worry about backup, sync and so on. Everything will be just there.
Don't even have to talk about the quality and quantity of the App Store.
This is the only reason and the most important reason for me to stick with iOS and Mac devices.

Some of the arguments are very good - customer satisfaction, security, support - but others seems a bit desperate: ''only iPhone has retina display'' - Really? I agree the iPhone screen is one of the best, but retina is just a name Apple gave for high resolution. Something exclusive to Apple 2 years ago, but today they are being outpaced by raw resolution - although i fail to understand if it really means better image quality.
''Only iPhone has Siri'': i can give voice commands in portuguese in android, something i still can not do with Siri.
I really like Apple products. Their marketing not so much.

My iPhone 4S still has a better camera and user experience than the last several smartphones I owned before coming back to it. From what I've seen on the GSIV, there is still that "stalling" that's plagued Android for years. I'll be sticking with iOS for my mobile experience unless something amazing comes from one of others come upgrade time.

I'm surprised they don't mention accessories. Having recently moved from Android to iPhone, I find it great that headphones with a play and pause actually button work (in fact, being able to change track from the lock screen seems like a privilege after Android), and that I can easily plug my phone into my TV and watch stuff I've downloaded.
I watched a video review of the Galaxy S4 (from Android central - posted on this site) and had to cringe when the scrolling stuttered when moving home screens, and when the reviewer accidentally closed the camera app when trying to to demo it. It's just shoddy. Apple actually take the time to consider such details, even down to making sure the Messages app won't slow down when you have over 1000 messages from one contact - not an easy consept to convey to would-be purchasers but it makes a difference 18 months in when you have to wipe your phone because its running slowly (as I did with my HTC Desire).

You can change track from the lockscreen on almost every Android device, otherwise, most music players on the play store offer that, and there are even lockscreen widgets that enable you to see your whole calendar, your rss feed etc. from your lockscreen. I can even skip tracks while the screen is off by long-pressing my volume button. With an MHL to HDMI adapter, it's exactly the same. THe scrolling stuttered because that was way pre-release software, a Note 2 for example doesn't stutter at all. Finally, don't compare an old HTC Desire to an iPhone, Android has gone a LONG way since, I hated my Galaxy S1 too because of the lag.

Apple has been awaken. Samsung should have left the sleeping near alone. This is just the beginning of a major ad campaign from apple. I'm glad to see this happening bc this only means good thing for the consumers.

Yeah, it's really wonderful for costumers when they're lying to them (best camera, only iphone has retina display, only iphone has Siri. though, you can dismiss the last 2 as lies, since no one else is indeed calling high density display Retina, or voice commands Siri. /sarcasm).

I am glad they are defending their product but I don't think that have to. By doing this now they seem nervous and have to make the features look new in the face of the feature bloated S4 (feature no one will use).

I expected Apple to do this, especially after last year where Samsung was slamming the iPhone with their Galaxy 3.

What I noticed is that they didn't make mention about the substantially larger screen that virtually all Android devices have. I can't help wonder if they will actually be launching a larger screened iPhone this summer

The camera on the iPhone5 is lacking. I find it takes a lot of effort to get the focussing just right. My Galaxy 1 takes sharper pics as does my wife's HTC One X. The latter, as already mentioned is better in low light as well,.

On another point briefly touched on was the service provided by Samsung. Apple didn't go nearly far enough in crticizing them. Samsung tends to be atrocious and very sleazy in terms of honouring their device's warranty. I can speak from personal experience (and I KNOW I am not the only one) where Samsung will really go out of their way to blame you for whatever problem you are having with your device, just so you cough up the cash to repair your device, despite it being under warranty. I wish ABC's 20/20 would do a story on how sleazy Samsung USA really is in this department.

Again, you can't just compare hardware but other factors plus your trust and faith in the manufacturer. This lack of trust is what prevents me from owning another Samsung smartphone ever again.

Smelling of desperation... Apple knows it's in trouble... Maybe not right, but their domination is eroding... And they know it. I hope to hell they have something TRULY revolutionary and not a repackaged 5 with a few tweaks sold as a "5S". Been an iPhone user since the first one in 2007... It's finally time for Apple to revolutionize things again.

This webpage got me wondering... would this be a sign the iPhone 5s is far from a release date?
Everybody is expecting a near to be released 5s because of the iPad, but the iphone always had at least 11 month cycle.
A +six month waiting time for the hardware answer to this s4 should make Apple nervous.

It is defensive. It is reactionary. That doesn't make it wrong, though, personally, when i received an unsolicited email like this (as somebody who already owns the device in question), my first thought was "wow, Apple must be *really* worried. Worse, the content ranges from fluff to FUD, and I wish Apple had stayed above the fray, and, if they felt they could not, then at least they could have scrounged up some wit from the "Im a Mac" era, rather than bland, questionabke statements.

One notable exception is the after purchase support, which Is so far above what you get with other phones that Apple should trumpet it more, not less.

So I'm a little confused right now. When Apple spends some of its billions of dollars on a little advertising, people go crazy. They're scared, they're worried, they're being defensive and blah blah blah. My opinion is that they are simply informing the world of the most superior cell phone on the market. That's all.

Nice article Rene. I came across the email this morning and smiled as I read it and figured out what was going on. This is Apple finally going on the OFFENSIVE and determined to control the message going forward. They've stood by while Samsung took swipes at them in their ads. Now, I believe, that's about to change dramatically and Apple will wrench that advantage out of Samsung's hands and reshape it to their liking. This is going to be an interesting fight and, if I know Apple, they plan to win. I can't wait for the first, "Slavish Copier", ads. Good luck Samsung, it was a nice run. Apple is at its best when threatened.

You're an idiot. It is faster with a dual-core processor than basically any Android on the market. Top camera, great build quality, best app store, great screen, OS updates that most models receive on a consistent basis, no lag, etc.....

HAHHAA, I don see how android can multitask properly. Andriod? Freedom? *applaude* by a not user friendly phone. After all it's just plastic, how is it best? It's just an useless phone with useless bigger screen.

Your continued reciting of the same old FUD doesn't speak well of your own mental acuity. His opinion might offend you, but to recite hook, line , & sinker the same tired & readily dispelled marketing crap from Phil Schiller is desperate.

At least when Justin Long was the commercial star for Apple, as bad as those ads were, there was a poking fun element to the ridiculous fallacies that Apple chose to present. Phil Schiller, & those that recite his bullshit, are just wrong to the point of being sad. One can only shake their head reading some of Apple's marketing claims. Oh, & I own an iPhone 5 so save the flames.

"Top camera, great build quality, best app store, great screen, OS updates that most models receive on a consistent basis, no lag, etc....."

Oh how about everything you posted there. I can point to examples in Android & WP8 that eclipse Apple's marketing jargon.

Top camera? Totally subjective. As a graphic designer I can get fantastic photos from a very weak & terrible (or so I'm told) camera in a Galaxy Nexus. Best app store... You got me there. All those fart apps are real gems aren't they? The screen? Apple's continued trumpeting of the 'Revolutionary Retina Screen' is just laughable. That got left behind in 2011 with the HTC Rezound. OS updates? What are they getting updates to? Most every Android phone that isn't a Nexus comes with software customization that the updates don't even have built in. And ask any 5 random Android users about the software version on their phone & they can't tell you what it is. This is no longer a relevant point of discussion. No lag? Lag is a thing of the past for any Android phone beyond 4.1 so try again. Oh & I can lag this iPhone 5 on iOS 6 very easily. And the apps crash right back to the Springboard almost daily. Most iOS users don't associate this with an app crashing because there is no dialogue telling them so like on Android.

There you have it. Most everything you wrote can be dispelled. Both platforms are fine for what they do & the users they target. But Apple needs to grow up & leave the infantile 'us against them' childish behavior in the past.

I think it was a smart move on Apple's part. I'm pretty sure with all the buzz about the new GS4, many people who are due for an upgrade are wondering: should I wait for the GS4, or just get an iPhone. This landing page for the iPhone does a good job summing up why you should get one.

The camera comment by Rene is interesting since it's all made by Sony and is used in their latest Xperia lines. I don't see the miracle of engineering from Apple when all it takes is buying a part, but to each their own. The display on the S4 may also be a game changer that Apple will have a tough time competing with. 11 calibration modes is kind of amazing for a smartphone. Apple does win in support but it's not like one cannot walk into a carrier or retail store and get as replacement phone. The only gotcha is that carriers don't usually stock a lot of phones for replacements.

Finally, if you have to explain to people why an iPhone is so good, you've already lost.. Somewhere in his bunker, Forstall is laughing.

And you are paying for that plastic phone? Might as well buy a Barbie doll. Plastic phone are just not worth that price.
Oh wait, apple products are overpriced? Awesome, because they are just worth that price

gslaxy s4 is da best phone ever made .samsung are the most innovative ever apple sucks with their washed out lcd outdated screen and tiny pathetic batterys .iphones the same cheap peice of looking crap since 2007 hahaha poor apple

oh dear apple is crapping themselves by making untrue and bias statements about their device ," only iphone has retina " good ,because retina is outdated ! basically apples ad is advertising its devices work HOW THEY ( apple ) want them to ,rather than the end user ,give me android anyday with its superior processor ,superior screen ,superior choice of freedom/apps, allowing me to swap battery and add storage and not being forced to use a appalling sync programme ( itunes ) just to copy files over ,pathetic apple iphone

Apple is now switching to IGZO display..
499 ppi ..
And also recently apple has been hiring guys from the jailbreak community so it also shows some of the cydia tweaks coming on the next OS..
FYI , gaming on android devices sucks!!!
There are thousands of devices running on various version of android which makes developing hell for the devs
I feel screen size matters to those who don't have an iPad..

Oh wait. Did you just said superior choice of apps? Awesome, another andriod fans who are blind. In which way it has a superior choice? The choice of apps is just so pathetic limited. And wait, swapping battery? Fgs, it's just so outdated. Sync programme? Are you jealous of apple because it have an iTunes? Whereas andriod just stick to the pathetic outdated way of adding storage. Which phone is being pathetic?

iPhone 5 is definitely the best smartphone in the world. With its retina display and camera. User-friendly features and of course its gorgeous and elegant design. Gaming on it was also awesome, with its large variety of apps in the App Store. Best IOS device.

I have been thinking on this years iPhone. What happen if the less expensive ( aka Cheaper ) iPhone is actually a larger 5" iPhone? Let me explain.

The 5s, is definitely running low on PPI compared to all the major competitor coming out. That is HTC One display on LCD ( same tech as Apple and not OLED used by Samsung ) running up to 46x PPI compared to Apple's 32x PPI. As previously discussed on 5" iPhone. 1704x960 Resolution is very likely to succeed the current 1136x640. (Because it is 3x the Dot Pitch of the original iPhone and scale of 1.5x of current iPhone 5 ). However this new Retina+ 1704x960 wont be on 5" but actually on 4" instead. This will push the PPI to 490, the best there is in current industry, and align with Sharp's best IGZO Panel.

And that should be a one of the major selling point for iPhone 5s. With higher resolution, it means Apple needs a more powerful GPU, there is PowerVR Rogue, and Apple will likely be the first "Mobile" SoC to be using it. ( LG has already produced the first Rogue SoC on Home Entertainment System )

Then the Less Expensive iPhone. There are three big items on iPhone BOM, excluding the NAND since that varies from capacity. Screen and Touch Panel, SoC, and Wireless IC. More then 20% of BOM are from Screen Panel. So any cost reduction will have to come from there first. The Less Expensive iPhone will actually feature 5" Screen @ 1136x640. The same resolution as current iPhone 5. The Dot Pitch size will be the same as the current iPad. which means it is basically iPad display panel cuts into smaller size. It is expected that the iPad Mini has cannibalize too much into iPad territory, those Panel capacity left over will be used for 5" iPhone instead. Since there is no increase in resolution, a SoC from last year, the Apple A6 will be more then enough.

By reusing last year's component Apple can make some big savings on BOM. So While others on the market cant compete on smaller size phone, ( remember smaller, thinner is actually harder to make ), Apple can strike them with a larger iPhone that is actually cheaper then others and their own iPhone. Just like the tablet market, When others cant compete with iPad on similar size, they make smaller size and compete on price. So Apple released the Mini and literally destroy most of those competitors. ( iPad Mini is still selling like Hotcakes ). The same could happen on SmartPhone market.

My Guess is that these measures and some other clever engineering could reduce the BOM cost by 15% and up to 25%. Added with less aggressive margin could make this available for $499. This is by no means cheap. ( That is why i keep referring it to as less expensive ), but i dont think Apple should ever make a cheap iPhone at all. Just like Apple has never made anything cheap. But they have constantly provide "value" on different levels. And Since Apple doesn't even make enough iPhone 5 for sells in China. The argument for an cheaper iPhone for China is just extremely weak.

Of cause a lot of these depends on technology availability. The Retina+ Panel is definitely ready, but its yield and low energy requirement may not fit apple's requirement. And it would be better for the new A6s SoC to be manufactured by TSMC 28nm rather then Samsung. And if all this doesn't happen this year, then it is very likely for happen for the iPhone 6, unless Apple is really that stubborn enough to not make a bigger screen iPhone.

I really enjoyed this article. Being an iPhone person, and apple fanatic all around, I love my iPhone so much and would never think about switching! They're so easy, so convenient, and so powerful, not to mention better looking than all the rest too. But I think the Apple Store is definitely one of Apple's biggest secrets weapons in this. Apple's costumer service goes way beyond what other phone manufacturers do. I've never had a bad experience in the Apple Store, except for one time when all my warranty time had run out, but even then they still tried to work something out! I love Apple

Apple without a doubt knows how to market it's products to get the widest range of the population to use them. If nothing else to get everyone to go in and compare and leave the rest (The Product) to speak for itself. It does not matter if it is an iPod, iPhone. or computer. The simplicity and design wins most of us over.

Interesting and exciting a bit, glad to see apple finally have some competition but at the same time, it's interesting to see them trash talk, just isn't an apple im used to seeing. Though if this does encourage apple to create a second iphone device (iphone "maxx"[bigger screen]) then i would love to see this happen. But i also don't want to start seeing smear campaigns on TV like an election year.

I challenge any Android fanboy to read this (well written article) and counter how the support base behind the product they have in their hand is better than the iPhone I am sending this on
I try to read with a critical and open mindset and I can absolutely see the allure of a more open operating system or even touting bigger and better specs (even though their OS doesn't/can't take full advantage of said hardware), but Android hardware mfg's just churn out devices.

Surely you are not claiming iP5 has a better than camera than Nokia had in N8 back in 2010 or does have in 808? I mean, really, seriously? Apple is in camera technology where Nokia was in 2009. And of course, L920 takes better pictures than iP5 in 90% of the situations people are going to use a mobile phone camera. And this really underlines the difference between these two companies: Nokia emphasizes and implements what matters in practice, for real people using technology. Apple, a classic tech company, emphasizes specs and performance on paper.

If you face any issues with the product during the warranty period, the phone or laptop etc. is sent away for repair; this can take between 2 to 4 weeks. No spare unit is offered. Yet, in case of iP5, this was the msot expensive phone available. 2) No personal assistance available from Apple.

Apple offers the shortest warranty in the industry, 12 months, despite the phone's costing more than any other phone out there. This attests to how little they hold trust in their manufacturing partners. Perhaps Apple should follow Nokia's example and manufacture in its own factories for betetr QC?

I own numerous Apple products and their warranty is not bad and their customer service is outstanding. I've never had a single complaint even when I bring them stuff not under warranty they have been great. Compare that to other OEMs who send bad replacement after bad replacement constantly.

I would also like to add that services such as Passbook and e.g. Siri only work in select geographical regions and for select languages. In short, if you re not a Yankee, you are out of luck. Apple made iP5 4G support available for Europe only in January this years. LOL. But seeing how iP5 market is shrinking in Europe, maybe people are beginning to get enough of this. Tech journalists at least are starting to pay attention and are educating people on what Apple stands for. Good!

My advice to people has been: If you are not American, do not buy Apple. They screw you up pretty bad, and you are worth more than that. Really, you are.

You iFans are so blind. Wake up and see true tech. There are better screen resolutions than the iPhone, better options (if you dont like plastic then get an HTC or LG), same apps, better OS control... and did I mention the fact that Samsung OS's allow you to have two apps open at the same time on one screen. This page is only a ploy to iFanatics because Appl eknows its about to loose iFan base but you will see the truth when the 5s comes out with no real upgrades.

I've been looking around for a new phone basically due to my battery nearly giving up (I'm still on a pre-ordered iPhone 4) . I've had a play with an Samsung S3,borrowed a mates Nokia lumia 920, use BB's at work and a couple of weeks ago realised pretty much what this email subject is "Theres an iPhone and then there's everything else"

Now i've just got to decide wether to just change the battery or get a iPhone 5 (I still don't think there is anything wrong with the iPhone 4 but would like a new toy)

The initial welcome wording for that webpage was the most asinine, unpolished crap I have ever read on anything Apple. I could get a middle schooler to come up with something more compelling. Apple should be ashamed!

Why advertise features that Google and the Android OEMs have matched greatly surpassed Apple in? Play to your strengths Apple, ease of use, hardware design, camera and support. Leave the rest out. Apple was beaten to LTE, has been greatly surpassed in screen quality, Android flagship processors are equal to iPhone now in terms of speed, and unless Siri has improved a lot since I last used it, it is a joke compared to Google Now. I'd also rather have true cloud storage in the form of Google+, Play and Drive, but that one is a personal preference.

I would love to see Apple put some effort into software innovation, because right now people are chomping at the bit to see what Google has in store for 5.0 and it seems like the Apple crowd is just hoping for something fresh. And now with BB10, WP8 doing some neat stuff and Ubuntu and Sailfish looming on the horizon, iOS has gone from my favorite mobile OS, to my 6th choice for phones (still top of the tablet world though).

Also, I know this is primarily a jab at Samsung, which is fine though. Touchwiz is god awful, all of the S features on the S3 and S4 are pointless, and the hardware design is god awful for a flagship.